I always talk about living my version of a Rich Life, and I’m so excited that I get to share a small window into that with you in the form of my six-week honeymoon. There were multiple stops.
My wife Cass and I got to share an experience of a lifetime with our parents in Rome, Italy. Then…
We’d always dreamed about going on a safari. And now?
This was a really special part of the trip for me. I always knew that I’d take my wife here on a honeymoon (even before I met Cass). It’s where I went with my parents to visit when I was a kid, and it’s where I learned about seeing a different part of the world, a totally different culture, about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. I couldn’t wait for Cass to experience it with me — and for us both to see a different side of India that we’d never seen before.
We started in Amritsar. As I walked around, I noticed families and friends standing around and catching up. I loved how warm it all felt. It reminded me of my family visits to our Sikh temple every Sunday when I was a kid. A couple of interesting things I’d like to share with you about Indian culture:
A “langar” is a free meal that every Sikh gurdwara serves to anyone — no matter what religion they follow — everywhere in the world.
Here in the langar hall, people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and gender — rich, poor, men, and women — sit together and eat the same food that is served for free by volunteers. About 50,000 people eat here on an average day — 100,000 on a busier day! On my visit to the langar hall, we got to take a peek in the kitchen where I’ve never been before:
Cass had the chance to help make roti as well.
By the way, they actually have a roti-making machine that makes 6,000 rotis per hour (!), but people still make them by hand because they want to volunteer. It’s as simple as that.
What an amazing testament to the power of community service.
This experience made me realize that I had been eating this food all my life and am just now getting to appreciate them in a whole new light.
This was an amazing part of our Rich Life — to be able to share culture and food and religion together.
And that was just the first day!
Now … allow me to introduce you to my new favorite hotel in the whole world.
Fun fact: Many top hotels in India were actual palaces that kings once lived in. This one is different: it was intentionally created to be a hotel.
WOW. Plus, something amazing happened when we checked into our room the first night…
I love it. At every hotel we are getting the royal treatment because they know we’re on our honeymoon, so they send us champagne and gifts, and put us in a secluded part of the hotel — amazing attention to detail.
On my Instagram stories, I showed some of the behind-the-scenes amenities at these hotels. I used to skip the things they offered because it was too expensive, they were ripping me off, I could do it myself … etc. I ended up not doing them at all. Now, if I know there’s something I want to do and they’ll create an unforgettable experience, I do them — even if they cost a little more.
Put another way, I had someone write me and ask, “How do I find deals on a luxury trip like this?” My answer: If you’re taking a luxury trip, you’re not looking for a deal.
And of course, let’s not overlook all the amazing food I had here. Here are a few of the specialty Indian dishes I want to share with you:
The way you eat golgappa is to take one of the crunchy fried balls, fill it up with the chutney, and eat it — it’s sweet and spicy at the same time. Most non-Indians haven’t tried this, but you’ll love it.
And one of my favorites…
So good that I was getting delirious! If you watch my stories, I could barely talk.
I mentioned we wanted to balance luxury and local culture. One of the things we did in Udaipur was visit a local woman’s home for a Rajasthani cooking class (we call her Auntie out of respect, though we’re not related).
Rajasthan is a northern Indian state that borders Pakistan. Because of the climate and for historical reasons, Rajasthani food was often traditionally made so it could last for days and eaten without heating.
We sat with this Auntie for hours and had a chance to hear about her life — how she arranged a marriage with her daughter, how life in Udaipur is different from Delhi (where I’m used to), how they eat. It gave us an awesome insight into her day-to-day life.
One thing I want to show you is the crowds in India. Your first reaction might be overwhelm or chaos. My take: If you look closely, there is charm in the chaos and throngs of people.
During my time here in India, I showed you a juxtaposition of having absolute luxury against bustling local street culture. Why?
You can decide what your Rich Life is. If you want to stay in a luxury hotel, you can. If you want to eat street food, you can. If you want to do BOTH, you can.
I want to show you that a Rich Life can be multi-dimensional and complex … because it’s YOURS. YOU get to define what your Rich Life looks like.
If you enjoyed this, I’ll be posting the last of my Honeymoon Diaries in Thailand next. You can also follow along in real time on Instagram (@ramit).
One of my goals is to show you how I live my Rich Life — and to encourage you to decide what your Rich Life is. Maybe it’s a long honeymoon, or working from home, or starting a business. You decide.
Let me know what you think by posting a comment below or DM’ing me on Instagram (@ramit).
My honeymoon in India is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.
